Odyssey (James Blood Ulmer album) explained

Odyssey
Type:	Album
Artist:	James Blood Ulmer
Border:	yes
Released:	1983
Recorded:	March–May 1983
Genre:	Jazz
Label:	Columbia
Producer:	James Blood Ulmer
Chronology:	James Blood Ulmer
Prev Title:	Black Rock
Prev Year:	1982
Next Title:	Part Time
Next Year:	1984

Odyssey is an album by American guitarist James Blood Ulmer, recorded and released in 1983 on the Columbia label.^[1] It was Ulmer's final of three albums recorded for a major label. The musicians on the album later re-united as The Odyssey Band and Odyssey The Band.

Reception

The AllMusic review by Steve Huey stated that "Odyssey stands as James Blood Ulmer's signature masterpiece, the purest and most accessible showcase for his bold, genre-clashing guitar vision... All the pieces come together to produce not only Ulmer's finest album, but a certified classic of the modern jazz avant-garde." It placed at No. 20 in The Village Voices annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll.^[2] The album was listed as part of a suggested "core collection" by The Penguin Guide to Jazz.^[3]

Track listing

All compositions by James "Blood" Ulmer

1. "Church" – 4:54
2. "Little Red House" – 4:45
3. "Love Dance" – 5:05
4. "Are You Glad to Be in America?" – 3:40
5. "Election" – 3:26
6. "Odyssey" – 5:01
7. "Please Tell Her" – 4:10
8. "Swing & Things" – 4:32

• Recorded at the Power Station, New York in March–May 1983

Personnel

• James "Blood" Ulmer – guitar, vocals
• Charles Burnham – violin
• Warren Benbow – drums

Notes and References

1. http://outbreakin.hp.infoseek.co.jp/jamesulmer.htm James "Blood" Ulmer discography
2. https://www.villagevoice.com/2019/01/09/1983-pazz-jop-who-else-a-goddamn-critics-band-thats-who-else/ 1983 Pazz & Jop
3. Cook R., Morton B. (2006). Penguin Guide to Jazz, 8th ed. London: Penguin Books, p, 1314.